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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29013345">destined</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/trashcanbarbie/pseuds/trashcanbarbie'>trashcanbarbie</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Adult Hermione Granger, Dark Hermione Granger, F/M, Good Draco Malfoy, Happy Ending, Hermione Granger &amp; Harry Potter Friendship, Hermione Granger-centric, If You Squint - Freeform, Minor Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Not Canon Compliant, Pining Draco Malfoy, Post-Hogwarts, Redeemed Draco Malfoy, dramione - Freeform, well dark-ish</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 12:54:41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,213</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29013345</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/trashcanbarbie/pseuds/trashcanbarbie</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>They turn again, and Hermione takes the opportunity to step closer, pressing them together. "It's you and me, Draco Malfoy," she breathes, impossibly close. Their atoms are practically fusing, at this point, and it feels so familiar. "You and me, Draco Malfoy,” she says breathily, playing with his suit collar. “You can't escape me, I can't escape you," she continues, keeping her eyes glued on the pretty lights above them. The ministry has really outdone themselves this time, it's a gorgeous event, it really is.</p><p> </p><p>"Why would I want to?" he says, almost laughing at the thought, and moves to kiss her like he remembers so well.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>68</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>destined</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is wrong, this is so wrong,” she murmurs into his chest. He pushes them both backwards. Her back hits the wall and she arches, gasping into him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He kisses her </span>
  <span>swiftly</span>
  <span>, lips devouring hers, </span>
  <span>all of</span>
  <span> hers. </span>
  <span>This is like the dementor’s kiss, she thinks, he's consuming her, </span>
  <span>all of</span>
  <span> her, all the bits that would laugh if someone suggested she'd ever kiss Malfoy, and you could say she’s coming out without a soul</span>
  <span>. Harry and Ron and Ginny and all her friends and everyone she knows would. That's why they can’t know.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He draws back </span>
  <span>suddenly</span>
  <span> and her head </span>
  <span>is left</span>
  <span> spinning, wanting more, when he whispers, “where have all those noble, Gryffindor morals gone</span>
  <span>?” around the curve of his smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You're such a prick,” she scoffs, and she'd push him off right now, if she had any sense at all.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I thought you liked it,” he smiles, laughter hiding around the edge of his voice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She shakes her head, but her hands are still fisted in his robes, “god, why would I ever like you,” she spits, full of scorn.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The laughter in his throat dies, “some mysteries never get solved, huh,” he says, </span>
  <span>seriously</span>
  <span> now.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She shakes her head again, </span>
  <span>just</span>
  <span> for nothing. “Burn in hell.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“See you soon,” he murmurs and kisses her all over again, and she lets go of those hateful words in a second because now her arms are around his neck and one of his is under her shirt</span>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fuck you, fuck you Malfoy,” she sobs, clinging to him </span>
  <span>desperately</span>
  <span>. The ruins of Hogwarts lay around them; she smells like smoke and so does he. It's all finished, they've won, the wars done, and the suddenness of it all has made her dizzy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Everyone she knows, all her friends, they're all in the Great Hall, with all the bodies, all the grief. She's not there, but she should be. She left the Great Hall and gone searching for him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Only she’d found him in a corridor near the charms classroom sitting on a bunt bit of stonework that had crashed onto the floor</span>
  <span>. </span>
  <span>She’d gone out to find him and she had, and he looked up at her, his mulling expression turning clear and surprised, then almost happy to see her</span>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Granger,” he said, his voice rough.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Malfoy,” she said back, and that's all for a while.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>fuck her, </span>
  <span>honestly</span>
  <span>. SELF HATRED  she should be killing him. she should have having him arrested. having him sent to azkaban</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Now, she's here, holding onto him, gasping, shaking, and he's not saying anything. </span>
  <span>He's </span>
  <span>just</span>
  <span> silent, with his fantastic fucking jawline and side profile with the hair and the eyes, and he's not saying anything to her</span>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He </span>
  <span>just</span>
  <span> holds her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh my god,” she cries, and it seems to get her meaning across because</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>he whispers, “it's over. It's over,” and his hands almost feel gentle and loving.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why can't I kill you? Why can't I?" she asks, and it's almost rhetorical, both they both know why. and they know why he hasn't called her a mudblood in a long, long time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He </span>
  <span>just</span>
  <span> leans down and kisses her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It always ends like this.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>-- </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Funny to see you here,” Hermione says </span>
  <span>quietly</span>
  <span>, smiling at him. They're at the latest ministry gala, raising money for some cause or the other. Hermione's sick of these things, but Ginny always drags her into going.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Isn't it?” and his lips quirk into a smile. </span>
  <span>He looks awfully handsome, in his  black suit, his hair’s grown out a little, but he </span>
  <span>really</span>
  <span> hasn’t changed, not even after that brief stint at Azkaban</span>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You clean up well,” she observes, holding back a little smirk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He grins wider. "And you," he murmurs, eyes sweeping up and down her. She shrugs, </span>
  <span>fully</span>
  <span> aware she looks gorgeous in the dress Ginny had found in a muggle stores sale, red and long and BLAH</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How was Azkaban?" she asks </span>
  <span>pointedly</span>
  <span>, as they spin again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When he'd asked her to dance, Harry had looked like he expected her to laugh in his face, but she'd only said yes. </span>
  <span>He's watching them now, Hermione can see him when she turns, a lone figure with his messy dark hair staring from the corner, eyes keen and quiet</span>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He sighs, "brief, </span>
  <span>objectively</span>
  <span> terrible, but not the worst holiday I've ever been on. No Barbados, 1989 that one takes the cake. Don't ask.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She smiles at his characterisation of prison. "Hm, </span>
  <span>really</span>
  <span>? — about Azkaban. I've heard glowing reviews.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, </span>
  <span>just</span>
  <span> a work trip would be fine. Look after the new prisoners. It's more of a day trip destination.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I see.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They make a full rotation around the dance floor before either of them speak again. “How has the new world been?” he asks her, and it sounds like he wants to know more for himself than anything related to small talk or courstey. Hermione reminds himself he's only been back for a few weeks.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know. Lots of hubbub. Lots of mourning. You know. everyone's quite realised that kids should not have been fighting a war. On both sides," she murmers. "It's been </span>
  <span>terribly</span>
  <span> busy. Oh, and, lots of these things. </span>
  <span>Terribly</span>
  <span> boring without a date.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His eyebrow quirks. “No Ronald on your side tonight?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Any night,” she says, and notices Ginny’s standing with Harry, watching them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He looks pleased. “Interesting.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She laughs </span>
  <span>just</span>
  <span> the slightest amount, “Isn't it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He changes the topic, “What about work?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Now, I'm working with the ministry. For now, picking up the pieces. Later on...well, I'm not sure.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know, my family's donating the majority of our library to public records. We need someone to organise, classify and validity the texts."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Isn't that the largest private collection in Britain?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Europe," he corrects, smirking.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She grins, and laughs. "Well, sounds like a job."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh, </span>
  <span>certainly</span>
  <span>."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You'll need someone of quality to do it, yes?" she asks, and he nods, "Like a head girl?"she suggests, then amends with a nod, "or, would-have-been?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You know what, that sounds about right."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She smiles as his hand wraps around tighter. "Well, I'm sure she'd take the job. If you offered it."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hermione Granger, by the powers that be, will you.... work for me?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well, I'd hate for there to be...conflicts of interests, you know. A sexual harassment suit isn't a very good look."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No, it's not. But I guess you’d really be an employee of the ministry, since it’s going into the public archives.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’d really just be a liaison.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They turn again, and Hermione takes the opportunity to step closer, pressing them together. "It's you and me, Draco Malfoy," she breathes, </span>
  <span>impossibly</span>
  <span> close. Their atoms are </span>
  <span>practically</span>
  <span> fusing, at this point, and it feels so familiar. "You and me, Draco Malfoy,” she says </span>
  <span>breathily</span>
  <span>, playing with his suit collar. “You can't escape me, I can't escape you," she continues, keeping her eyes glued on the pretty lights above them. The ministry has </span>
  <span>really</span>
  <span> outdone themselves this time, it's a gorgeous event, it </span>
  <span>really</span>
  <span> is.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Why would I want to?" he says, almost laughing at the thought, and moves to kiss her like he remembers so well.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shocked whispers fan out from them, and Hermione would laugh, if she wasn't so busy doing something else</span>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>hey, thanks for reading! </p><p>leave a comment/kudos.</p><p>xx</p></blockquote></div></div>
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